So there I was..........great sail and looking forward to a cold one (or three) at the club, but as I swung into the narrows of the marina my engine died. I had just cut it to idle and fttt....spthhhhhhh it died. Worse, a couple of tugs and there was no response. We rushed about like fools and avoided dings and scratches, as well as clubhouse "discussion," but still people (the crew - aka Jane and the kids) were not impresed. I put this glitch down to too little idle and vowed to give a little more "rev" on my next return to the fold................. So yesterday we are out looking for wind and eventually gave up the unequal struggle. Mother nature won again (although the solitude and the sunset were perfect) and motored in. I am at about 3/4 open and we seem to loose power. I let the throttle back in a little and we restore "normal" output. This occurs three or four times and with my "crew" ready to fend off 100000 dollar insurance claims we docked OK. I just bought "Madrigal" this year and there was a full(ish) tank of gas (with stabilizer) from last year. 10 gal I think with 1/2 left now. It has been fine until the last two times out. The motor is a 2000 Evinrude 9.9 with minimal use. This is an enviromantally friendly activity after all. I am reluctant to dump the gas and start fresh but............. will consider all non-fiberglass renting and Beneteau bashing options. Any thoughts........... Regards Phil
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Possibilities
Phil - I think I would difinately start with fresh fuel. It's the easiest and cheapest beginning to troubleshooting your engine's problem. Put fresh plugs in also at the same time. A second item to examine is the water pump - is water exiting the motor shaft as it should. We had a motor that always seemed to quit at the worst time - usually just after dropping the sails and entering the marina (and always with the wife and kids aboard!) We traced the problem back to a failed water pump. The motor would run for awhile until it became to hot then would just shut down. It would always start up again after cooling for about ten minutes. Anyway, hopefully someone else will be able to share their knowledge of Evinrudes as well. Keep after it - you'll find the problem.
Phil - I think I would difinately start with fresh fuel. It's the easiest and cheapest beginning to troubleshooting your engine's problem. Put fresh plugs in also at the same time. A second item to examine is the water pump - is water exiting the motor shaft as it should. We had a motor that always seemed to quit at the worst time - usually just after dropping the sails and entering the marina (and always with the wife and kids aboard!) We traced the problem back to a failed water pump. The motor would run for awhile until it became to hot then would just shut down. It would always start up again after cooling for about ten minutes. Anyway, hopefully someone else will be able to share their knowledge of Evinrudes as well. Keep after it - you'll find the problem.
Keeping it Simple
I am new to this business of personal sailing and motoring so take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. However, I think there is some kind of principle in science called Ocham's Razor. It basically says that all things being roughly equal, the simple explaination tends more often to be the correct one. My wife and I on our second outing with our brand new 26X and Honda 50HP engine did an overnighter on the Chesapeake Bay a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time most of it under sail. The boat behaved well and was comfortable at anchor on our very first sleep over on it. Well the weather went sour on our return and we decided to haul in the sails, empty the ballast and make a beeline for Havre de Grace. Okay, long story short, the engine quit at about 2 miles short of our destination. We were in a fairly narrow and well traveled channel and dead in the water and drifting to a seriously shallow area (known as the Susquehanna Flats). After a few moments of concern, I changed tanks to the full one and the Honda kicked right off. Later, I discovered the first tank still was about 1/4 full, but as one of those plastic jobs was all caved in. Nobody told me,and frankly it never occurred to me to open the vent up there in the middle of the fuel gage on top of the tank. Before that we had used the engine at trolling speeds and never opened the throttle much. It all came together; particurly the unstable idle. We've tried the engine again with the tank vent open and that Honda lived up to all the promises. Anyway, hope this little experience made you smile, or perhaps solved your problem. Simple huh??
I am new to this business of personal sailing and motoring so take what I am about to say with a grain of salt. However, I think there is some kind of principle in science called Ocham's Razor. It basically says that all things being roughly equal, the simple explaination tends more often to be the correct one. My wife and I on our second outing with our brand new 26X and Honda 50HP engine did an overnighter on the Chesapeake Bay a couple of weeks ago. Had a great time most of it under sail. The boat behaved well and was comfortable at anchor on our very first sleep over on it. Well the weather went sour on our return and we decided to haul in the sails, empty the ballast and make a beeline for Havre de Grace. Okay, long story short, the engine quit at about 2 miles short of our destination. We were in a fairly narrow and well traveled channel and dead in the water and drifting to a seriously shallow area (known as the Susquehanna Flats). After a few moments of concern, I changed tanks to the full one and the Honda kicked right off. Later, I discovered the first tank still was about 1/4 full, but as one of those plastic jobs was all caved in. Nobody told me,and frankly it never occurred to me to open the vent up there in the middle of the fuel gage on top of the tank. Before that we had used the engine at trolling speeds and never opened the throttle much. It all came together; particurly the unstable idle. We've tried the engine again with the tank vent open and that Honda lived up to all the promises. Anyway, hope this little experience made you smile, or perhaps solved your problem. Simple huh??
#$@%^ outboards don't idle well.
Sounds like a two stroke problem. One thing that two stokes don't do well is idle as well as a four stroke. If it is a two stroke giving you the problem, be sure that the idle mixture is a perfect as possible. Even then, you will have to "play" that throttle to keep it from "loading-up" at very low idle RPMs. Get the service manual to minimize your operating problems.
Sounds like a two stroke problem. One thing that two stokes don't do well is idle as well as a four stroke. If it is a two stroke giving you the problem, be sure that the idle mixture is a perfect as possible. Even then, you will have to "play" that throttle to keep it from "loading-up" at very low idle RPMs. Get the service manual to minimize your operating problems.
We've had a similar problem
Hi there Phil .. I have a Yamaha 9.9 high thrust 4 stoke 1993 and have had similar issues to you .. our engine turned out to be a number of things. -We had to replace the fuel as it had water in it. - The carby was gummed up and needed a rebuild and the jets cleaned - all the cooling system was clogged up with salt and needed to be drilled to clear out the problems. - We also replaced the fuel lines and bulb pump. I know this is very vague but it eventually solved our issues. Good luck mate I hope it gets sorted out soon as I really really know what its like to have your family almost threaten mutiny
cheers Stu..
Hi there Phil .. I have a Yamaha 9.9 high thrust 4 stoke 1993 and have had similar issues to you .. our engine turned out to be a number of things. -We had to replace the fuel as it had water in it. - The carby was gummed up and needed a rebuild and the jets cleaned - all the cooling system was clogged up with salt and needed to be drilled to clear out the problems. - We also replaced the fuel lines and bulb pump. I know this is very vague but it eventually solved our issues. Good luck mate I hope it gets sorted out soon as I really really know what its like to have your family almost threaten mutiny
cheers Stu..Outboard problems
I would change the gas first. If that doesn't work, I would check the fuel filter to see if its clogged. If your 10 gallon tank is a permanantly mounted tank, the vent could be clogged with a bees nest or something else.
I would change the gas first. If that doesn't work, I would check the fuel filter to see if its clogged. If your 10 gallon tank is a permanantly mounted tank, the vent could be clogged with a bees nest or something else.
Water Water everywhere
I would try new gas. And make sure you clean the tank out well. I am guessing you are getting closer to the bottom of your tank of gas and picking up sludge and or water. I believe water floats on gas. I like that vent suggestion in the other post, that is an easy thing to forget about. Don
I would try new gas. And make sure you clean the tank out well. I am guessing you are getting closer to the bottom of your tank of gas and picking up sludge and or water. I believe water floats on gas. I like that vent suggestion in the other post, that is an easy thing to forget about. Don
Water is heavier than gasoline.......
Sorry Don, Water remains at the bottom of the tank, that's why airplane fuel tank drains are at the bottom, not the top. ;-) */Water: 8 lbs./gal. Gasoline: 6 lbs./gal
Sorry Don, Water remains at the bottom of the tank, that's why airplane fuel tank drains are at the bottom, not the top. ;-) */Water: 8 lbs./gal. Gasoline: 6 lbs./gal
Gas over Water
Yes you are correct I screwed up, thanks for catching that. I think my fingers were moving faster than my brain.
Yes you are correct I screwed up, thanks for catching that. I think my fingers were moving faster than my brain.
No problem Don...
Easy mistake to make, Don. Also, at my age, I occasionally st..st...st..stutter at the keyboard. My brain goes faster than my fingers sometimes.
Easy mistake to make, Don. Also, at my age, I occasionally st..st...st..stutter at the keyboard. My brain goes faster than my fingers sometimes.
#@!$% Choke
Well all is solved. Thanks all for your input it really helped. Oil, water, petrol. To mix or not to mix........to float or not to float..... whatever. The problem was the choke. I checked the fuel filter, no problem, and pontificated how to remove 5 gal of fuel the "proper" way when I thought "the choke!!" Twas the problem indeed. I could engage the choke to start, no problem, but on pushing it in the wire was slipping through the guide and not shutting off correctly. Electrical tape and voila................ All the poor boats in the dock can stop with their cringing now. We are now a danger to only ourselves. Many thanks, Regards Phil (and Madrigal)
Well all is solved. Thanks all for your input it really helped. Oil, water, petrol. To mix or not to mix........to float or not to float..... whatever. The problem was the choke. I checked the fuel filter, no problem, and pontificated how to remove 5 gal of fuel the "proper" way when I thought "the choke!!" Twas the problem indeed. I could engage the choke to start, no problem, but on pushing it in the wire was slipping through the guide and not shutting off correctly. Electrical tape and voila................ All the poor boats in the dock can stop with their cringing now. We are now a danger to only ourselves. Many thanks, Regards Phil (and Madrigal)
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